Repairing Your Appliances

Posted on: 26 May 2023

If your oven isn't heating properly or broiling foods at all, it might have a bad broil element. The broil element is the heating element on the top of the oven that glows bright orange when you set the oven to broil. The broil element may also come on when you're baking to provide additional heat. The element may not get hot enough to turn orange when baking and it won't produce enough heat to bake foods alone, but a loss of heat from the broil element can affect baking too.

So, when the broiler goes bad, it will affect everything you cook in the oven. An oven repair service can come to your home and determine the problem so the oven can be repaired. Here are things that might be wrong.

The Element Or Wire May Be Burned Out

The oven repair technician may start by examining the broil element and the wire attached to the end. The element might be cracked, and if so, the element won't glow when the broil setting is turned on. The crack may even be visible. If the wire is the problem, the wiring insulation may look black where it's been burned. The wire might also be loose and simply need to be tightened. If the technician can't find areas of damage, they can check the element with a multimeter to see if it has continuity. If it doesn't, the element has to be replaced with a new one.

The Igniter Or Safety Valve May Be Bad

The broiler on a gas oven is ignited by the igniter and safety valve. Electricity flows through the igniter so it turns on and ignites the gas that's released through the safety valve. The oven repair technician can watch the igniter when the broiler is turned on. If it glows, but the flame doesn't ignite, the igniter is probably malfunctioning. It's also possible the igniter won't glow at all.

If the repair technician wants to verify the igniter is bad, they can test it with a multimeter before replacing it. The safety valve has a mechanism inside that opens up to allow gas to escape so it can be ignited. If the valve isn't working, there will be no gas to operate the broiler, and in that case, the safety valve needs to be replaced.

The Control Board Is Bad

If the broil element isn't damaged and has continuity when tested, the oven repair technician may check the control board next. This part sends voltage to the broil element so it can turn on. If the board is faulty, the broil element may not get the power it needs to operate. The oven repair technician may need to open up the control area of the oven to examine the control board to look for burned-out areas. If damage is visible, the technician may replace the control board to see if that restores power to the broil element.

The Thermostat Is Malfunctioning

The thermostat in the oven controls the temperature and tells the broil element when to turn on and off. If the thermostat is malfunctioning, it may behave erratically or not turn the broil element on at all. When an oven thermostat goes bad, it has to be replaced with a new one.